Gilead's Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir Shows 100% Efficacy in HIV Prevention Trial of 2000 Women

Jun 22, 2024, 05:21 AM

Gilead Sciences has reported promising results from a large PrEP trial involving its experimental drug, lenacapavir. The trial, which included over 2,000 cisgender adolescent girls and young women in Africa, demonstrated that twice-yearly injections of lenacapavir provided 100% protection from HIV infection. This capsid inhibitor, administered subcutaneously into the abdomen with two oral loading doses, was found to be superior to existing oral regimens (TDF/FTC; TAF/FTC), with no infections occurring in the lenacapavir arm of the study. The news has led to a significant increase in Gilead's stock price, marking its best day since October 2022. Researchers and healthcare professionals, including Mizuho Americas's Jared Holz, are optimistic about the potential of lenacapavir to significantly reduce new HIV infections, particularly in populations with the highest infection rates.